


Summer Days (Drifting Away)

by Atalto



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bc shiro ain't coming back anytime soon, Canon Divergence, Cuddling, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Homesickness, Hurt/Comfort, but i can dream, cuddle piles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 13:57:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11647968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atalto/pseuds/Atalto
Summary: The team take a break from Voltron to regroup and recharge for the final fight against the Galra.Pidge discovers that she doesn't really like alien beaches, no matter how human they are.





	Summer Days (Drifting Away)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!  
> This was written for the Summer Break event on the Voltron amino!  
> Honestly I loved writing this. Sticking your fave three characters together is always fun, even if they're not together much in canon.  
> UPDATE 31/7/17: this is officially a winning piece!!!! Thanks so much to the guys at the Voltron Amino, I actually didn't see this coming!!!!  
> Enjoy!

Pidge didn't hate the heat. In fact, it was quite the opposite; she loved being able to wear floaty, cool clothing, and to work outside in the sun rather than in a stuffy room. Back on Earth, heat meant summer, and summer was water fights with Matt on the backyard patio when he was back from the Garrison, and her mum mixing up fun drinks from fruit juice and lemonade to enjoy in the setting sun. Summer was time with her family, layering on suncream and still getting burnt, road trips to coastal towns and tourist cities.

This? This wasn't summer.

The Princess had announced that they were taking a short break from Voltron, in commemoration of Shiro's return and the defeat of Zarkon. It was just a few days on a Galra-free planet, but it seemed like weeks of freedom compared to the months, nearly a year of fighting to dismantle the Empire. Lance had asked explicitly for a beach planet, and Allura had found one that somehow fit the bill. When they finally touched down, they found long white strips of sand and pastel pink sea that washed onto the beach in soft, hushing waves. The locals were friendly, the lilac sky was clear, and _godamn was it hot._

She flopped backwards onto a striped towel, and she was ninety-nice percent sure she was melting.

Her main problem was that the heat wasn't comfortable. Instead, it was close and sticky, with no shade large enough to sit under in sight. Even the water pouches they'd brought were warm and no longer refreshing, and the floppy hat that Hunk had found in storage was doing very little to protect the skin not covered by the swimsuit. There weren't many times where she would rather have been back on the castleship, but now was certainly one of those times.

"Hey, Pidgey?"

  
A voice caused her to snap open her eyes and groan quietly.  
"Hay is for horses, Lance, what do you want?" She lifted the hat above her eyes so she could look up at Lance, who was shuffling on the hot sand. He was sopping wet, having obviously just come out of the ocean, and looked happily flushed in the bright sunlight.

  
"We were just wondering if you wanted to come in the water with us?" He tilted his head towards the sea, where Hunk was happily wading about and calling to Keith who was nervously toeing the water, looking kind of ridiculous with a scowl and bright pink, rubbery floats. "We're teaching Keith how to swim, because apparently he never learned," he said with a shrug as Pidge stifled a laugh, "we thought now would be a better time than any."

  
"Is the water even safe?" Pidge asked, smirking.

  
"Well, Coran said the scans came back as completely salt water, and the locals informed Shiro that they've already performed their ritual to keep away the leviathans, so..." he trailed off, chuckling under his breath as Keith finally made it into the water. "Are you coming?"

  
Pidge thought for a second, then shook her head. "You guys go in without me, I'll watch so I can remember your when Keith snaps and kicks your asses."

But Lance didn't move.

"Lance, I said you could go without me-" she was interrupted by Lance sitting down beside her. "What are you doing?"

  
"Am I not allowed to spend some quality time with lil' pidge-podge?" He placed his hand flamboyantly on his chest in mock offence, but quickly dropped it.

  
"Lance, seriously."

  
"Alright, you seem kinda' sad for someone who's supposed to be on space holiday." He leaned back on his arms and looked towards her with a half-smile. "Need to get those codes out of your head or something? Can't deal with being away from a computer this long?"

  
"No, c'mon-"

  
"Is it the beach? Because if you don't like beaches, we could ask Allura to go somewhere else tomorrow, like rock climbing, or skiing, or, ooh, ice skating-"

  
"Lance, please."

  
He stopped mid-sentence, looking at her with wide eyes. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the towel. "It just reminds me a little bit too much of home, that's all."

  
Lance didn't reply, so she just kept going.

  
"It's like when Mum used to take us down to the beach in the summer, and Dad always made the best picnics, and Matt, the absolute fuckwit," she laughed slightly, sadly, "he'd always throw me in the water and I'd get so mad but it was so fun."

  
She didn't even realise she was crying until she heard Lance shush her and pull her in for a sideways hug. Apart from the quiet sounds of Hunk and Keith in the water and the rush of waves on the sand, it was completely silent.

"Did I tell you how much this place looks like Varadero?"

  
Pidge snorted wetly. "Only a couple of hundred times."

  
Huffing, Lance tightened the embrace around her shoulders. "It's like, exactly the same. The sand is the same colour, the sea sounds the same, even the birdcalls are similar. I could close my eyes, and it would feel like I'm home." He sighed, and tilted his head up to the sky. "But then I open my eyes, and there's aliens with two heads on the boardwalk, and the water's pink for god's sake-"

  
"Where are you going with this?"

  
"We all miss home Pidge, you're not alone," he said, voice near a tender whisper, "we're a team now, we gotta' keep each other going. Are you with me?"

  
A fist appeared near Pidge's face, connected to a softly smiling Lance.  
"Yeah, alright." She wiped her eyes under her glasses and lightly bumped Lance's fist. "I'm with ya'."

  
"Bros?"

  
"For life, it's not like I can get rid of you now."

  
"I don't think Voltron accepts receipts." Laughing, Lance squeezed her again and relaxed into the sand.

"Is everything okay here?"

  
A loud voice caused Pidge to nearly jump out of her skin, and a high-pitched squeak from Lance said he didn't expect it either.  
"Damnit, Shiro, bit of warning next time?"

  
Chuckling, Shiro eased himself down onto the blanket on Pidge's other side; it seemed like quite a struggle with one arm, as he and Coran had taken the prosthetic off incase it wasn't waterproof, but he made it seem graceful. "I thought you'd be in the water, Lance."

  
"I have been, but I just popped out to talk to lil' Pidge here," Lance replied, removing his arm from Pidge's shoulder and lightly punching her arm.

  
Shiro raised an eyebrow, but smiled anyway. "'You alright, Pidge?”

  
"Yeah Shiro, I'm okay," Pidge said with a nod and a small smile, leaning onto Shiro's arm, "just a bit, uh-"

  
"Homesick," Lance butted in, noticing her discomfort. "We were both a bit off, so we thought we'd talk it out, y'know?"

  
"I get that," Shiro laughed softly, ruffling Pidge's hair before hugging her as well, "this place is very Earth-like."

  
"Lance was saying it was like Varadero." Her voice was muffled, her face partially obscured by Shiro's side.

  
"Oh, really?"

  
Lance flushed and fidgeted his hands in his lap. "The beach is pretty much the same as here see, and there's lots of these palm tree things, so it's kinda the same I guess, if you ignore the pink, and the two moons, and the aliens-"

  
"Sounds pretty similar then."

  
Lance nodded in response, looking out to the sea again; Keith was swimming now, the floats ditched on the sand and Hunk enthusiastically egging him on. "Hey, Shiro, are you gonna go in the sea?"

  
Shiro hummed, staring into the distance with a glassy stare before pulling himself back to face Pidge and Lance. "I'll pass."

  
"Alright then."

  
"Fair enough."

The trio sat for a while in silence, enjoying the slight breeze that had picked up while they were talking. Pidge had begun to dose, the heat being lethargic and somewhat more comfortable. Lance was swaying lightly on the spot, and Shiro had gained a dopey smile in tiredness.

  
"I think I might just take a nap," Lance said through a yawn, looking around for somewhere to rest.

  
"You can lean on me, I don't mind," Shiro offered, "Pidge seems to have made herself comfortable."

  
"Heh, thanks Shiro." Lance stretched, salt encrusted bodysuit cracking in the quiet. "Don't mind if I do."

 

* * *

 

"Honestly Hunk, thank you."

  
"Hey, it's okay dude! Do you need some help?"

  
"Nah, I can do it."

Keith had decided; the ocean was overrated, and was way too much hassle. He was pretty sure his lungs contained more salty seawater than air from the vast amount he'd accidentally swallowed, and his muscles ached more from trying to exit the currents than they did from actually swimming. But Hunk was a good teacher, and Lance, when he had been there, was surprisingly good with tips and tricks to help.

On that note, where was Lance? He'd disappeared several hours ago to check on Pidge who was sat alone on the beach, and hadn't reappeared. Even Hunk had been worried, but had been trying not to show it. He failed on that regard - Hunk's anxious nature left him glancing up at the bay every five minutes and distracted - but Keith didn't want to bring it up.

"Hey, there he is!" Keith snapped out of his thoughts to Hunk running across the sand, the spray of particles getting stuck in his sodden hair. Over the mound of sand, he saw Lance, definitely, asleep.

Asleep with his head pillowed on Shiro's thighs and arms wrapped around Pidge's middle. In turn, Pidge had her face mostly in Shiro's side and had a hand in Lance's hair, and Shiro's remaining arm was wrapped around her shoulders whilst he leant backwards on a tree, head tilted upwards. All three were seemingly out for the count; Lance and Shiro's quiet snores were almost in sync, and Pidge was mumbling was Keith guessed was code, although most of it was unintelligible.

  
There was a click next to him, and Hunk lowered a hologram with a grin. "What?" He asked with a smile, offering up the picture he'd just taken of the trio asleep, "I'm never gonna' let anyone involved here live this down."

  
"Lance and Pidge are gonna' hate you for this."

  
A chuckle. "I'm fully prepared for that."

  
Keith laughed and ran a hand through his slowly drying hair, moving the clumps out of his eyes. "Should we wake them? They're in direct sunlight."

  
Sighing, Hunk nodded and closed the hologram. "Yeah man, we probably should. Pidge is already looking kinda' pink."

  
"Come on then, help me move them. I can't move Shiro on my own."

 

* * *

 

"I'm sorry, you what?"

  
Hunk shifted on the spot. "I took a photo of you three sleeping on each other?"

  
"Yes Hunk, but why?" Pidge grumbled, putting her elbow on the table and her head in her hand.

  
"Blackmail," Keith butted in from across the table, grinning at the trios expressions; Pidge looked somewhat offended, but her offence was rarely serious, and Lance almost looked in awe at the photo rather than Hunk.

Shiro, meanwhile, hardly looked fazed, and instead was looking at the photo with fondness. "I don't really see a problem," he offered quietly, "I mean, it's a fairly harmless photo."

  
Lance's head snapped up. "You didn't mind me sleeping on your legs?"

  
"Of course not," Shiro replied with a smile, "I'm glad I was comfortable. If you're having trouble sleeping, you're welcome to come to me. I can't promise I'll be much help, but..." he trailed off, looking out on the rest of the group who were in various states of laughter. "What?"

  
Giggling, Pidge leaned over to poke Lance, who had flushed deeply and buried his face in his arms. "You okay there Lance? A bit embarrassed?"

  
"No!" He shot back, blush going against what he said. "You can talk, you had your face in his chest."

  
"And? I'm not ashamed about sleeping _on my hero_ ," Pidge said confidently, folding her arms across her chest.

  
"Pidge!"

“I never would have thought you had a problem with cuddling, Lance, I don't bite," Shiro said with a half-smirk, "and since when have I been your hero?"

  
"Shiro, stop, you're killing him," Hunk forced through laughter at Lance, who was looking like he'd happily jump into the void of space.

  
"Well, that's one way to shut him up," Keith taunted, voice heavy with snark.

  
Looking up, Lance sent a death glare over the table. "How about you shut up?"

  
"Ooh, someone's a bit grouchy," Keith shot back, smiling now, "I think he needs a nap, Shiro, whilst we're still on break."

  
"Y'know what, maybe I do?" Lance snapped, pushing away from the table, "Shiro, I'm taking a nap, are you coming?"

Once Lance was near the door, Shiro shuffled his chair back and stood, following Lance out the door to the friendly calls and jarrs of his teammates.

  
"Pidge, aren't you going?" Hunk asked, wide smile on his face.

  
Pidge shook her head. "It's touching, but cuddling isn't really my scene," She explained, "I'm sure they wouldn't mind you two getting involved if you want, as long as you tread lightly and go either side incase they start making out or some shit."

  
Hunk and Keith shared a look, before standing and holding their hands out to Pidge.  
"We're not going without you, Pidge, this is team bonding now," Hunk said gently, pulling Pidge out of the chair.

  
"Fine, but I'm taking my Laptop."

 

* * *

 

"Paladins? Where are you?"

  
"Have you not found them yet?"

  
Allura shook her head and stopped in the corridor. "I've looked all over the castle, Coran. They don't seem to be anywhere."

  
Stroking his moustache, Coran pulled up a hologram from his uniform. "It says here they're all in the black Paladin's room."

  
"Let's go then!”

  
Allura was off down the corridor before Coran had time to object, and he regrouped with the Princess outside the room's door.  
After sharing a look, Allura knocked on the door like Hunk had taught her humans did. "Paladins? Are you in here?"

She barely got the end of her sentence before the door slid open, revealing Keith, with messed up hair and tired looking eyes. "Everything alright, Princess?”

  
"Of course," she stuttered, taken back slightly, "just curious about where everyone was, that's all."

  
Keith gestured over his shoulder, to the mass crushed together on the small bed. "They're all there, might take a bit of waking up though."

  
"They are-?"

  
"Asleep, yeah." He turned and laughed under his breath, twisting the handle of his knife between his fingers absentmindedly. 

  
Coran peeked around the doorframe. "I thought humans usually operated in pairs, not quintets."

  
Shrugging, Keith moved out of the door. "Blame Lance and Shiro, they started this whole cuddling thing."

  
"They were acting rather strangely after they returned from Dai'theyan," Allura mused, placing a hand on her hip and raising an eyebrows in response to Keith laughing again.

  
"Just, expect this more often from now on," he said gently, "I think this is going to happen more often now."

And with that, he walked off, leaving a somewhat confused Allura and Coran in his wake.

  
"Should we wake them?" Coran asked, looking at the other Paladins who were still asleep.

  
Allura hummed in thought, then gave a small smile. "No let them sleep," she turned on her heel and stepped back from the door, "it's their break after all. If they want to spend it sleeping, then that's what they shall do."

  
Coran smiled and walked of in the direction of his quarters.

A day of rest? That was certainly a break idea he could get behind.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank y'all for reading this, and have a good break everyone!
> 
> Kudos/Comments make my world spin.


End file.
